Denny Hamlin shares stance on Dale Earnhardt Jr. leaving NBC for Amazon, Warner Bros. Discovery

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will soon be announcing NASCAR Cup Series races, though on a new platform.

Earnhardt, who served as a color commentator for NBC since 2018, is joining Amazon and Warner Bros. Discovery for the 2025 season, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported this past Thursday.

“Earnhardt is expected to take this season off and then resume his broadcasting career in 2025 when WBD Sports and Amazon begin their coverage,” Marchand wrote.

Denny Hamlin, speaking on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast Monday, said he likes the move for both Earnhardt and NBC.

“I like this move; I like it for both. … I like it for NBC and Dale Jr.,” Hamlin said. “Think NBC’s got two or three really strong guys there and Dale Jr., he was the one that kind of started that, but I think that they have enough talent to carry it, and I just feel like when you have these new partners in, you want to have a really strong announcing core. NASCAR will play a big role in the production of those of Amazon and Warner Bros. so Dale Jr. being kind of the anchor there. I like that move for Dale Jr.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. set to become face of Amazon’s NASCAR coverage

NASCAR previously announced $7.7 billion in media rights deals with FOX Sports, NBC, Warner Bros. Discovery and Amazon scheduled to run from 2025 through 2031. Under the current deal, FOX Sports carries 18 races, while NBC picks up the remaining 20.

Under the new layout, FOX Sports will broadcast the first 14 Cup Series races of the season. Amazon Prime Video will host the next five events. Warner Bros. Discovery will carry the following five races, which will be simulcasted on TNT and the B/R Sports tier on the Max streaming service. The final 14 races of the season will be on NBC.

Earnhardt reportedly informed NBC of his decision two weeks ago. The network released a statement on Earnhardt’s departure.

“Dale Earnhardt Jr. is beloved in the NASCAR world and has made numerous contributions to NBC Sports, from his work as an analyst on our NASCAR coverage to his experiences as a correspondent at major events like the Indianapolis 500, the Kentucky Derby, the Super Bowl and the Olympics. We thank Dale and we wish him the best going forward,” the statement read.